The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatuses for filling bulk particulate into flexible receptacles such as bags or the like, and more particularly to an automated system for dispensing bulk sand into a plurality of flexible receptacles which may be used, for example, to erect barriers to control flood waters.
In a number of circumstances, it is desirable to produce large quantities of particulate filled flexible receptacles or bags for distribution or placement as desired. For example, large numbers of sandbags are used each year to protect real and personal property from the harmful and erosive effects of flooding occurring in and around our oceans, lakes, rivers, and other waterways.
Most commonly, sand bags are prepared by manually filling each bag using a shovel or other manual device. Typically, each bag is then manually closed using drawstrings, manual ties, or by twisting or tying the top material of the bag. Examples of manual filling apparatuses for filling bags with sand are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,845,685; 5,802,807; and 5,687,781. Such manual devices are quite slow and labor intensive, typically requiring a large number of workers to produce a relatively modest number of filled sandbags.
It is most often the case, however, that the exigent circumstances precipitated by rising flood waters leave insufficient time to manually produce the number of filled sand bags that will be required to erect the necessary temporary dams or barriers to control or divert the flooding waters. Further complications arise from the reality that, for a given localized community under floodwater conditions, sand bags may be required at a number of different locations. There is a need, therefore, for transportable sand bag filling systems capable of rapidly producing a large quantity of sand bags at a desired emergency site with minimal manual labor requirements.
Semi-automated sand bagging systems which help to reduce the amount of time and labor required to produce filled sand bags are known in the art. Most often, these semi-automated sand bagging systems require one or more operators to manually present and hold or secure the bags, either individually or in groups, in position with respect to some sort of mechanized filling apparatus. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,044,921; 4,184,522; 5,873,396; and 5,806,576.
Other sand bagging systems having somewhat higher degrees of automation have been disclosed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,260 discloses a sand bag filling apparatus which automatically excavates, forms, fills and discharges sandbags. The sand bags are formed and sealed during the filling process at the point of fill material introduction from bag material which is stored on two continuous roll fed webs. The apparatus disclosed in the ""260 patent requires operator directed excavation from a source of fill material and does not disclose provisions for the use of pre-formed sand bags of simple construction.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,665 discloses a sand bagging system which fills bags extracted from a specially prepared cassette. The cassette apparatus generally includes a set of rails which support a plurality of sand bags held on the rails by tabs which are in turn attached to ribbons. The bag cassettes are manually loaded onto the rails of the filling system and the ribbons fed through tensioning rollers. The bags, supported on the rails by the tabs are then withdrawn from the cassette by the ribbons, filled, and then severed from the rails to be sewn shut and discharged from the system.
The cassettes required by the apparatus disclosed in the ""665 patent, however, require relatively complex and specially manufactured bags having tabs, ribbons, and rails adding considerable difficulty to the manufacture and storage of the bags and cassettes. Further, since an automatic sand bagging machine may consume over 100,000 bags over the course of a single day of full-time operation, any extra features, hardware, or like complexities which add cost to the bag will result in considerable aggregate expense as great numbers of bags are rapidly consumed. This is especially true as flooding emergencies may require several days of continuous operation.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have a sand bag filling apparatus or system that is capable of filling a large number of bags or receptacles in a short amount of time with minimal operator intervention. It would be further desirable to have a sand bag filling apparatus which is capable of running continuously for an extended period of time without operator assistance and which is portable or mobile to allow deployment to a desired location. It would also be desirable to have a sand bag that is of simple construction, allows efficient storage of a large number of pre-manufactured bags, and facilitates automatic loading and filling by a suitably constructed sand bag filling apparatus.
The present invention will be generally described with respect to preparing filled sand bags for use in erecting flood barriers, but the invention is not limited thereto, and is contemplated to be useful for filling various flexible receptacles or bags with a wide range of bulk materials.
The present invention involves various aspects of an automated bag filling system or apparatus for filling flexible receptacles or bags with a bulk material, such as sand. The filling systems or apparatuses of the present invention facilitate the filling of large numbers of bags with the desired material with little or no operator intervention. In certain preferred embodiments, the automatic sand bag filling system operates to deposit a desired amount of bulk material in each bag, closes or seals shut the filled bag, and releases the bag from the filling system for placement in service according to its intended use.
One aspect of the present invention involves a sand bag filling machine for filling a bag with sand which may include a fill channel having an open end and an interior sized to hold a predetermined amount of sand. The fill channel may be moveable along a fixed path from a first position exterior of the bag to a second position wherein at least a portion of the fill channel is positioned within the interior of the bag. In one embodiment, the sand bag filling machine includes a lift assembly for controllably moving the fill channel between the first and second position.
The sand bag filling machine may include a metering device adapted to deposit the predetermined amount of sand through the open end of the fill channel and into the interior of the fill channel. According to one aspect of the present invention, the metering device comprises a moveable tray having a bottom member. The bottom member may have at least one opening and a plate member substantially covering the opening when the moveable tray is in a first position. The moveable tray may be moveable relative to the plate member to a second position in which the opening is positioned at least partially over the open end of the fill channel and at least a portion of the opening is no longer covered by the plate member. As the plate member is removed or cleared from the opening, the sand is allowed to fall into the open end. In a preferred embodiment, the plate member moves in with the bottom member for a portion of the stroke of the bottom member so that the opening is positioned further out over the open end before sand is released.
In one embodiment, the bottom member includes a contiguous bottom portion adjacent the opening and the moveable tray further includes an input opening for receiving a substantially continuous supply of sand. The supply of sand is directed onto the plate member when said moveable tray is in a first position and onto the contiguous bottom portion when the moveable tray is in the second position. This arrangement effectively converts a continuous flow of sand into charges of sand at desired intervals.
The sand bag filling may have a pair of spreader bars or members to help support the bags during certain operations such as filling, cutting, or closing. The spreader members are preferably elongate members which are cylindrical or other suitable shape and are generally disposed in a parallel configuration. In one embodiment, the spreader members are moveably coupled to a support member which is moveable from a first position wherein said the spreader members are positioned exterior of the bag to be filled and a second position wherein at least a portion of the spreader members are positioned within the interior of the bag. At least one of the spreader bars, and preferably both, are moveable relative to the other whereby the first and second spreader members may be spread apart relative to each other while positioned within the bag.
The fill channel may have a substantially cylindrical, square, or other generally closed cross-section. The open end of the fill channel may be funnel shaped or otherwise have a transition section having angled sides to direct the sand towards a bottom or second end of the fill channel. The second end of the fill channel preferably has at least one opening or outlet through which sand within the interior of the fill channel is allowed to exit into the interior of the bag. The sand remains substantially contained within the fill channel until the channel is withdrawn from the bag. Preferably, a substantial portion of the sand exits the interior through the opening when the fill channel is moving from its second position to its first position.
Another aspect of the present invention involves an automatic sand bag filling system comprising a plurality of interconnected bags each having a bag opening and a bag interior, a fill channel, and a metering device, such as a moveable tray, adapted to deposit a desired amount of sand within the inlet opening. Each of the plurality of bags have a top portion and a bottom portion, the top portion of each of the bags being connected to the bottom portion of a next adjacent bag. The end-to-end interconnection of the bags facilitates easy routing and presentation of the bags through the sand bag filling system.
The fill channel may have a first end with an inlet opening for receiving sand, a second end having an outlet opening, and a substantially open or unobstructed interior region between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. The fill channel is preferably moveable between at least a first position exterior of one of the bags placed at a first location, a second position wherein at least a portion of the fill channel is positioned within the interior region of the one bag, and a third position wherein the one bag is displaced by operation of the fill channel to a second location. The fill channel may also be moveable to a fourth position wherein the fill channel is exterior the one bag at a second location. As the fill channel moves from the third position to the fourth position, a substantial portion of the sand exits the fill channel through the outlet opening. Thus, this configuration advantageously uses the fill channel to both advance each bag from a first location to a second filling location and to reliably fill the bag with sand.
In one preferred embodiment, the first location of each sand bag is preferably substantially vertically above the second location where the bag is filled. The first location and the second location are preferably separated by a distance substantially equal to the length of the bags. The first, second, third, and fourth positions of the fill channel are preferably in a substantially straight line, although the mechanism used to produce the movement may result in curvilinear or other such motion. Preferably, the sand bag filling system includes a lift assembly having a carriage controllably positionable along a fixed vertical path corresponding with the first, second, third, and fourth positions of the fill channel. The fill channel may be operably connected to the carriage which operates to raise and lower the fill channel. A similar carriage and lift arrangement is preferably provided to raise and lower the spreader bars.
The sand bag filling apparatus may be mounted to a truck, tractor, or trailer to allow it to be easily transported to a desired location. Preferably, the automatic sand bag filling system further includes a trailer assembly having at least two wheels to facilitate towing behind an appropriate tow vehicle. The trailer assembly further comprises a reservoir or hopper sized to hold a sufficient quantity of sand so as to fill a plurality of sand bags. More preferably, the hopper hold sufficient sand to allow the apparatus to fill bags with sand for an extended amount of time. One or more bulk transfer devices such as augers or conveyors or the like may be provided to distribute sand from the hopper to the metering device.
Another aspect of the present invention involves a method for filling a series of bags with particulate material. The method may include the steps of providing a plurality of bags connected in an end-to-end fashion, each of the bags having a bag opening and a bag bottom; providing a fill channel having first end having a first end having an inlet opening, a second end having an outlet opening, and a substantially open interior therebetween; placing at least a portion of the second end within the interior of one of the bags such that the outlet opening is in close proximity to the bag bottom; depositing a desired amount of particulate matter within the interior of the fill channel; and withdrawing the fill channel from within the interior of the bag to release the amount of particulate matter from the interior of the fill channel and into the interior of the bag to fill the bag with the amount of particulate matter.
After the bag has been filled, the method may include the step of cutting the filled bag from a next bag adjacent thereto. The method may include the step of mechanically closing the bag opening, for example, by way of sewing, stapling, gluing, heat sealing, or other suitable closure means or mechanism. As or after the one bag is being filled, cut, and/or closed, the method may include the steps of placing at least a portion of the second end within the interior of a next adjacent bag and urged against the bag bottom of the next bag, moving the fill channel to cause the second end of the fill channel to displace the next bag from a first position to a second position, and depositing a second desired amount of particulate matter within the interior of the fill channel. The second position of the next bag is essentially the same position as was used to fill the previous bag.
Another aspect of the present invention involves an interconnected series of bags for use in an automatic sand bag filling apparatus, the interconnected bags comprising a plurality of bags formed along a length of substantially continuous web material. Each of the plurality of bags having a front panel and a back panel, the back panel being integral with the web material. Each of the plurality of bags being separated by a connecting portion of web material.
In a preferred embodiment, the back panel and the connecting portion of the plurality of bags are integrally formed from the length of continuous web material. Each of the plurality of bags preferably have a bag opening and the front panel further includes a flap folded over along at least a portion of the bag opening. The flap of each of the plurality of bags may be folded to the outside or inside of each bag, preferably to the inside. The bag material may include any suitable bay material, but is preferably selected from the group consisting of burlap, polypropylene and rice paper.
Another aspect of the present invention involves a method of forming an interconnected series of bags comprising the steps of (a) providing a length of web material having a first edge and a second edge; (b) making first and second L-shaped cuts extending from the first edge toward the center to create first and second flaps of material within the web; (c) folding the first flap of material onto the web material and securing it thereto; (d) folding the web material between the first cut and the second cut lengthwise to substantially align the first edge to the second edge; (e) sealing the folded web along the first edge and the second edge to create a bag side and sealing along the second cut to create a bag bottom; and (f) repeating steps (b) through (e) whereby a series of interconnected bags are formed. The steps involving sealing may be accomplished by sewing, stapling, gluing, heat sealing, or other suitable fixing or fastening technique. The interconnected series of bags are preferably arranged in an alternating fan-fold arrangement on a pallet.
These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims.